Alright, you know I couldn’t resist.  Now that Daniel looks so neat and clean (and possibly ready to enlist in the armed forces), I had to do something about Rebecca’s mess.

I knew it wouldn’t be a cure-all.  I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place when it comes to the hair in her face.  She still refuses barrettes (even bobby pins) about 98% of the time.  I still refuse to cut bangs.  But still, a little trim couldn’t hurt.

M and I split the kids up this morning and spent an hour or two totally reinforcing gender roles.  M took Daniel to Lowe’s for paint and a light fixture, I took Rebecca to the kiddie hairdresser’s.  I won’t lie, I feared the worst as far as Rebecca’s reaction.  She can be particularly wary of new people and places right now, and makes her displeasure very well known.  But Amy, Rebecca’s very first stylist, was very nice and Rebecca was apparently in a good mood.  Offers of lollipops fell on deaf ears, but bribery with bubbles is a successful tactic.  As long as the water spritzer was not sprayed directly on her head, and as long as Amy did not attempt to put her hair in a ponytail, she was actually the picture of cooperation.

Not much was cut off.  Only maybe half an inch in the back, even less on the sides just to clean things up.  I was indignant at the $17.99 they charged, but at least she’s unlikely to need frequent trims.  At first, I thought it had made almost no difference at all.  But after seeing it at all angles, I actually think it looks nicer in the back, and barely-shoulder-length is actually a very cute look on her.

Yes, the front still falls in her eyes, but I think I’ve found a better way to part it and it seems to work a touch better.  I suspect that’s a battle I’ll continue to fight until either she decides she’ll accept barrettes, or I cave and cut bangs.  I’d put my money on the barrettes before the bangs, but I wouldn’t hold your breath for either.

I’ve been itching to get Daniel’s hair cut for a while now.  Compared to a lot of kids, he really didn’t have a ton of hair at all.  It’s straight, not very thick, it lies down flat to his head, it’s generally inoffensive.  But it was hanging over his ears and getting long enough in back that it was bugging me.  I know lots of little boys with much more hair than Daniel, and whose parents keep it much longer, and I think it’s totally cute.  But apparently I prefer my boy’s hair nice and short and clean, and the teensiest hint of a mullet was just getting on my nerves.

M was overdue for a haircut himself, so rather last-minute I suggested we attempt a family trip to the barber shop after naptime.  We talked it up to Daniel, played with making little “snip snip” noises and pretending to trim his hair, and he thought it was funny.  When we arrived and the barber suggested he sit on M’s lap and put on the smock?  Yeah, not havin’ it.  Ah well, no big deal.  M could get his hair cut, the kids could have a snack and read a book.  At one point, though, Daniel started getting interested in what Daddy was doing.  “Comb!” he said.  I let him walk over near the chair, show Daddy his book.  The barber was great and really tried to engage with Daniel.  He asked him about his book, talked to him, and even let him touch the clippers and see how they’d tickle.  Daniel was really warming up.  When M’s cut was done, though, he still had no interest in sitting on Daddy’s lap, especially with that weird black drape he was wearing.  When M sat in one of the regular waiting chairs, though, he was game and the barber jumped on the opportunity.

While we had to hold his hands out of the way and keep him from squirming and protesting for the first few clips, he actually calmed down and didn’t fight it much at all.  The barber was awesome, patient, engaging, and quite skilled at cutting the hair of a very wiggly 19-month-old. He even tried to not charge us for the cut.  Needless to say, we not only paid for it, but gave him a hefty tip.

Truthfully, I imagined keeping a bit more hair.  In reality, it’s all but a buzz cut.  Buzzed on the sides, a touch more length up top.  It’s really, really short, and I admit that it freaked me out just a little.  But I think it’s adorable, and it’s so nice and neat and clean-looking.  And my little boy did such a good job on his first cut.  I’m so proud.

Rebecca, by comparison, looks even more like a ragamuffin than before. We might have to make a trip to the kiddie salon tomorrow morning, though I suspect it will not go quite as smoothly as Daniel’s.  If only she would let me use barrettes….